The present disclosure relates to improvement of a food steamer.
A currently available food steamer includes a base, a water tank, a heater, drip tray, one to three steam baskets. The water tank is fixed on the base. The heater has a shape of cap or plate, which is mounted in the centre of water tank. The drip tray is fitted on the water tank. The steam basket is set on the drip tray. A heater-cover is fitted and surround the cap or plate of the heater. When the water is filled in the water tank, the water go through from a hole of the heater-cover to the heater cap or plate. When the heater cap or plate is heated, the water become boiling and steam is generated. The steam rise and go into the steam basket for food cooking.
This food steamer has the disadvantage: the water tank is fixed on the base and limited by the size of the unit, it cannot be reserved much water for longer cooking food, so it needs to refill water in the midway during the cooking process and very inconvenient. The water tank is not detachable and the user only can fill the water or empty the water tank with the base together. Also it is very difficult to clean the water tank, during the water tank cleaning, the water may go easily to the inside of the base and may cause electrical danger. If the water tank capacity is increased the whole unit would become larger and higher, affecting the look and use friendliness, the cost may also be increased.
During the cooking procedure, the user needs to fill the water in to the heater cap or plate which surround with the heater-cover, then the heater heat up the water temperature to reach the boiling point to provide the steam, and some heat may transfer through the heater cover to the outside water, so the heater needs long time to product the steam for cooking. As the heater can not convert the water into the steam at once, the user can not cook the food immediately, it would affect the food taste and quality, it would also reduce the nutrition of the food due to the prolonged cooking process.
The heater cap or plate is exposed on the base, the user can be easy to touch the heater cap or plate that may burn the hand of user, and thus it is unsafe.
This invention concerns a food steamer which provides a large storage capacity of water that allows long time steam cooking, the heater device is mounted in the base and much faster and high efficiency of steam generation and heating, easy to use and safer operation.